Meant to Be
by Artgrl56
Summary: Nikki Clearwater is the cousin of Seth and Leah. Both of her parents are dead and she's just found out her childhood friends are all wolves. Add in an imprint and a few vampires bent on having her for breakfast, and you've got one crazy life. Embry/OC
1. Chapter 1

Hey everybody! First of all, I want to thank you for taking the time to read my story. I'm here to improve my writing, so I encourage harsh (but not mean) criticism.

I hope you like it!

3 Em

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I grumble as I step out of the minuscule airport in Port Angeles, Washington, straight into the dreary rain. Music blasts in my headphones, and I chew my lip as I look out for Aunt Sue. At the moment, there isn't a car in sight. _Is it so hard for anyone to be on time?_ I concentrate on the music and not the time passing as I stand out in the rain.

_Five minutes..._

_Ten minutes..._

_Fifteen minutes..._

Finally, a blue Oldsmobile drives up, and Aunt Sue steps out frantically. "Oh, dear! I'm so sorry you had to wait out here for so long! I've got warm soup ready on the stove at home and your room is all set up and ready to sleep in. I'm so sorry, Nichole!"

I smile, shutting off my iPod and slipping the earbuds out of my ears. It's kind of hard to be mad at Aunt Sue when she acts like that.

"It's alright, Aunt Sue. And I go by Nikki now, by the way."

I pick up my bags and slip them into the back of the car.

"Oh! Alright, then. Climb in, and we'll be on our way!"

I shake my head to myself, sliding into the passenger seat of Aunt Sue's car.

_I guess I forgot how optimistic she is..._

The car ride is filled with talk, mostly from Aunt Sue. It's alright with me, though. I haven't been to La Push since my Dad died when I was twelve.

I'm fifteen now, and my mom just died of cancer. My uncle on my step-father's side, Harry Clearwater, was my godfather, but he died of a heart attack. I'm now moving in with his wife, Sue, her son, Seth, and her daughter, Leah.

My step-father had been married to my mom for as long as I could remember. He was best friends with my dad, and promised to protect my mom and I. My Dad was killed when I was 2, and Jackson and my mom had fallen in love and married. Jackson adopted me when I was 4, so I had had his name since.

Sue and I open the door, and I hear Sue say, "Oh, you guys have friends over! I didn't expect that! Well, here's Nikki!" before she tugs me in by my arm.

Sue has one of my bags, and she slips the other one out of my hands before taking off to some other part of the house. I stare after her, one eyebrow raised, before I'm attacked.

"Nichole! Nick! Nikki! Nichole Avery Clearwater! I can't believe it's you!" Leah shrieks, lifting me up off the floor as she hugs me.

"Can't- breathe!" I croak, and she sets me down. Then, I'm attacked by Seth. He's a little more calm about it, but he still has the puppy-like excitement that Leah had.

"Hey, Nick! What's up?" he asks, but I don't answer. I simply stare up at him. He's younger than me, but he's at least a foot taller then me.

"How... how the hell are you so big?"

He bursts out laughing, wrapping an arm around me and guiding me fully into the living room.

"Growth spurt."

He plops down on the couch, and I hesitate, looking around the room. I choose a seat between Leah and a teenage boy who seems vaguely familiar. Then, it hits me. "Jake? Jacob Black?" I say in disbelief.

He turns to me and grins. "Hey, Nichole! How are you?"

"Good," I reply, looking around the room. "Who is everybody?"

Jake chuckles. "I guess you haven't met everyone yet, have you? Well, that's Sam, Paul, Jared, Quil-"

"Quil Ateara? You mean the Quil that used to pull in my pigtails and stuck gum in my hair when I was 6?"

Jake laughs, and I realize I was too loud as Quil calls, "Sorry about that, Nichole," without looking away from the TV that he's playing X-box on.

I blush, "S'okay, Quil."

Jacob laughs, pulling my attention back to him. "Then there's Collin, Brady, and Embry."

That's when I see him. Embry Call is staring straight at me, open-mouthed. Our eyes lock, and his eyes are filled with emotion. Before I can identify it, I hear Sue call, "Nikki, can you come in here for a minute?" and I'm brought down to earth again.

"Oh! Sure," I call, tearing my eyes away from Embry's. I stand up, shaking my head to clear it as I make my way toward Sue's voice.

I found her in down the hall in the guest room that would now be my room. Sue was smiling brightly.

"I don't mean to keep you from everyone, but I got you a little welcome gift."

She steps over to the dresser, and I sit down on the bed. She plops down next to me and hands me the box. "Leah told me you didn't have one of your own."

Curious, I tear through the wrapping paper and open the plain cardboard box. Inside is a Mac laptop.

"I had Seth set it up. He even installed iTunes and everything."I look up at Sue, my eyes tearing up.

"Thank you so much, Aunt Sue!"

I hug her, before Seth barges in.

"Mom! Stop taking our lovely cousin from us!"

I hear a laugh from the living room.  
"Lovely my a-" I hear a slap, and Leah shuts up. I laugh and stand up, setting the laptop on the bed as Seth yanks me out of the room and into the living room.

"So," Jake starts, "There's going to be a bonfire tonight. Want to come? We're all heading out now."

My eyes flick to Leah, and she gives an encouraging nod, holding up two beach bags. One, I assume, is for her and the other for me.

"Sure," I say uncertain.

"Yes!" Quil shouts, leaping over the back of the couch and picking me up. "Nikki! I missed you!"

I laugh, holding onto his shoulders to keep from falling.

"I missed you too, Ateara. Now put me down."

He sets me down, a sloppy grin on his face. "Sorry I didn't say hi earlier. I was playing X-Box."

I roll my eyes, and he throws an arm around my shoulders.

I pause on the way out the door. "You're hot," I blurt without thinking. All heads turn to me and I wave my hands in front of me, blushing. "Not like that! I mean, well, your temperature. You're unusually warm."

My face is still red when Paul claps an arm on my shoulder. "You'll get used to it."

My face heats up even more, and Leah tugs me toward her car, laughing.

"Way to make a first impression, Nikki."

I turn away, biting my lip.

She laughs. "I'm just joking, Nick. Calm down."

Wanting to change the subject, I turn to her and ask, "So, what's the bonfire for?"

"Nothing, actually. We all just hang out. Eat, swim, stuff like that. It's really fun."

I nod and wring my hands nervously and she scoffs. "You're going to be fine. Besides, you could always hang out with Embry. He seemed to like what he saw earlier."

"Ah!" I say, throwing my hands over my eyes. "I can't believe you noticed that!"

She laughs and says, "Hun, everybody in the room noticed. That man is smitten."

Something else hangs in the air. Even though the sentence was light and joking, I detected a double meaning. Filing it away to muse about later, I look up to see a parking lot and an expanse of beach and water in front of us.

Leah and I climb out of the car. Down on the beach, there's a group of girls, who look up and wave. Leah's face hardens.

"Leah? What's wrong?"

"The girl on the left, Emily, stole my boyfriend. Neither of us could control it, but it still sucks ass."

"What do you mean?"

"Just drop it, Nichole." She shoves a beach bag at me a little harder than necessary, and I stumble back, landing on my butt.

"Ow!"

I hear a car door slam, and two arms pick me up off the ground and set me on my feet.

"Leah, what the hell did you do?" Embry growls, and I turn to look at him. His large hands are still on my arms, and he's shaking.

"Um, Embry, calm down. It's nice to know you're looking out for me, but, um, you should probably stop glaring at Leah now," I say nervously. I haven't seen Embry since I was twelve, so I wonder why he's being so protective.

He instantly relaxes, releasing me and bending down to pick up the fallen beach bag.

"Sorry about that, Nichole. It's nice to see you again," he says with a smile, hanging me the beach bag.

I blush, and reply, "It's nothing, really. Do you know what the deal is with Leah and that Emily girl?" Embry and I are walking slowly down the path to the beach, and I realize that everyone else is already there.

"Oh, yeah. Leah's got a huge vendetta against Emily, because she was dating Sam when he im-, uh, met Emily and chose her over Leah. She and Leah are cousins, so I guess that makes it even worse."

"Hmm..."I say, biting my lip. Embry laughs, and I look up at him, confused. "What?"

He's grinning like a goofball when he says, "You used to do that when you were little. It's kind of funny to see you do it now, especially since you've grown up so much."

I blush a bump my shoulder against his arm. "You've grown up more than I have! What are you, ten feet tall?"

He laughs and bumps me back gently as our feet hit the rocky beach. "Not even close, Princess."

I smile softly at the name he'd given me when we were younger and I used to spend more time in La Push.

He leads me over to a circle of logs and lawn chairs set up around a fire-pit. He gestures to the two women that had waved to us earlier, and says, "This is Emily, Kim, and Rachel."

I smile nervously and wave, before Embry tugs me over to one of the logs and sits down next to me.

"You're very pushy, Mr. Call," I say, dropping the beach bag next to me.

Embry bursts out laughing clutching his stomach. I'm lost until I hear him splutter, "La... PUSH," between laughs.

I roll my eyes and slap him on the back of the head. "You're absurd."

I reach down into the beach bag to find the contents of my purse, which I assume Leah had stolen from Aunt Sue and emptied into the bag, a swimsuit, a towel, a hairbrush, and my iPod.

I pull out my phone, and check my messages. I have one from my friend Alison, and two from my friend Maia.

I type two quick hello's to them before turning back to Embry. "I'm going to go change into a swimsuit in Leah's car. I'll be back in a minute."

Leah stands up from a log across the fire-pit and walks with me.

"Soooooo, you and Embry seem to be getting close..." She says innocently.

"Oh, shut up, Leah," I say, rolling my eyes. I open the backseat door and slip the bikini out of the bag. "Cover for me, okay?"

She laughs. "Yes, Nikki."

I roll my eyes and hurry to get the swimsuit on, throwing my shirt on over it and shoving my pants into the bag.

Leah's already dressed in her swimsuit, so she just slips her jeans off and shoves them in her bag. We walk back down the beach, and I plop down on the log next to Embry again. His eyes travel down my legs, and a blush flames up my cheeks.

"Hey, Call! Stop staring at my cousin's sexy legs or I'll tear your head off," Leah calls from down by the water.

"Heel, Leah," Jacob says, and I hear a smack. I turn around to see Jacob rub his head, as he and Leah bicker back and forth.

"Are those two dating?" I ask Embry, turning to face him again.

"Oh! Leah and Jacob? They should be. They're completely meant to be together but they're just to stubborn to give in. Jacob's attached to some girl from Forks, and Leah won't deal with him as more than a friend until he lets go of her."

I nod in understanding, before jumping up suddenly, stripping my shirt off.

"What are you doing?" Embry says, eyes wide.

"Going for a swim. Come on!"

I take off toward the water, where Leah, Quil, Sam, Jacob, and Paul are swimming.

I dive into the freezing water, with a laugh, and Leah turns around.

"Nikki! So nice of you to join us." Then, she splashes a great wave of salt water at me.

"Hey!" I shriek, splashing her back. I accidentally hit Sam, who immediately turns suspiciously to Jacob, splashing him.

"Hey! What was that for?" Jacob yells, trying to splash at Sam, but hitting Leah.

Soon, we're all in the midst of an epic splash fight. I'm just about to get a great shot at Paul, when a huge wave hits my exposed back, sending me under. I come up coughing and spluttering, whirling on my attacker. Embry is standing there innocently, grinning.

"Embry Call!" I shout, jumping at him. He catches me, holding me tight to him so that I can't move.

"Embry! That's not fair!" I half shout, half whine.

"Life isn't fair, Princess."

I pout, crossing my arms over my chest. He laughs, and we all look up as Emily yells, "Food's ready!"

"Embry, I'll forgive you if you carry me back to the fire."

He seems to consider it. "Okay," he decides with a grin, lifting me up into his arms with ease. He slips me over onto his back, and I burst out laughing as he starts to walk up the the beach.

"I feel like a little kid!"

He and I are laughing insanely when we finally get to the circle of logs, and collapse. I wrap myself in the fluffy towel from my bag, smiling as Embry plops down next to me.

The fire's already been started, and there's a huge bounty of food spread out on two fold out tables outside the circle. I raise my eyebrows, looking over at Jacob, who's looking hungrily at the food.

"What'd you guys do, rob a grocery store?"

The circle erupts in laughter, and Sam says, "We all eat a lot, so we have to bring a lot of food."

I nod, "With how big you guys are, I'll believe that."

Embry chuckles next to me, and people stand up around the fire to get food. Embry pulls me up with him, handing me a plate. I take one hot dog, a handful of chips, and a cupcake. When Embry and I sit down again, my jaw drops at his plate. More like _plates_ actually. He's got a plate for hot dogs, a plate for chips, and a plate for dessert.

I shake my head, taking a bite out of my hot dog. "That's all you're eating?" Embry says with his mouth full.

"Uh, yeah. This is the amount of food a _normal _person eats."

He rolls his eyes, and swallows. "I'm normal."

I shake my head. "Not even remotely."

He chuckles, and we finish eating. We both pitch in to the discussions around us, but for the most part, we're silent. The sun starts to set, and it gets colder out.

My swimsuit's dry now, so I slip on my shirt and jeans. I dig in my swim bag, but unfortunately, Leah didn't pack a sweatshirt. I rub my arms, and Embry looks down immediately.

"Are you cold?" Without waiting for an answer, he slides his jacket off and drapes it around my shoulders. I blush slightly, and Kim winks at me from across the fire. I lean toward Embry, and he wraps an arms around me, pulling me closer.

I close my eyes, leaning against his chest.

"Hmm. Paul was right. I did get used to the whole warm thing."

I can feel his chest vibrate as he laughs.

"Good." Then as an afterthought, he adds, "Do you want to go for a walk? There's something I need tot tell you."

I look up at him. "Sure."

We stand up, and Sam nods to him, before he takes my hand and leads me away from the fire.

When we're far away from the fire, Embry finally talks.

"Um, this is going to be a lot to take in. If you feel like you're going to be sick or anything, then seriously, tell me. When Jared told Kim, she passed out. Anyway, um... God, I have no idea how to say this."

I stop and turn to Embry. "Um, Em, you really need to chill."

He starts pacing, running his hands through his hair. I can see his stressed face in the moonlight."I know! It's just, you've only been back for a day and now I'm about to spring all this on you, and you probably don't even think of me like that, and-"

"Embry?"

He stops rambling.

"Please just tell me. You've got me curious now."

He takes a deep breath and places his hands on either side of my face. "Promise not to say anything until I'm done?"

I nod.

"Ok. Well, um, I'm a werewolf. So are the rest of the guys back there. Kim and Emily aren't but Leah is. So is Seth."

My eyes widen, but I force myself to stay calm, one hand traveling up to hold one of his, that's still on the side of my face.

"Well, we do this thing called imprinting. It's pretty much where you find your soul mate. You can't control who it is, and you can't make it go away. When you find your imprint... you're completely devoted to them. They become your everything."

His eyes lock with mine. "Nichole Clearwater, I imprinted on you."

I swallow the lump in my throat.

"Wow..."

I look into his green eyes, and smile slightly before leaning up to press my lips to his. I can only describe my next feelings as magic. There's electricity and so many things that I never expected to feel, all coming from this one man.

We pull away, and I stare at him. "What do we do now? Things are a little bit different now, right?"

Embry rolls his eyes. "Understatement of the year, Princess."

He wraps his arms around me, and says, "I think we should go back to the fire. It's getting late, and Leah will kill me if I keep you away from her too long. She's been excited about this for the last three weeks, you know."

I smile softly and lean into him.

"This just feels... right," I whisper, and he leans down to kiss the top of my head.

"I know. Believe me, I know."

* * *

Thanks for reading everyone! You see the green button over there? Well, you know the drill! Write me a nice little comment to stroke my ego and get my fingers typing faster.

Cookies for everybody that's gotten this far!

3


	2. Chapter 2

**So! **Thank you all for coming to read chapter 2! This one is a lot shorter than the previous chapter. I think it's a little over half. But! There is more to come. :) I have it all planned out. The next chapter is the stories, which I warn you, are going to be slightly different from SMeyer's version. I think this is going to be about 11 or 12 chapters long. I'm not sure if I can do regular updates, because i tend to switch fandoms for a few days and then shift to others. I've been doing pretty good with sticking to this one, especially with the release of Eclipse soon! Is anyone else going to see it at midnight? I am! Anyway, thank you all for reading! More at the bottom of the story. :)

Also, I decided to post some of the songs I listened to while writing the chapter.

**Songs: **Dance Forever- Allstar Weekend

My First Kiss- 3oh!3

Don't Need a Man- Pussycat Dolls

Girl's Night Out- Lauren Christoff

She Wolf- Shakira

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"Niiikkkkkiiiii! Wake uuuup!" Leah whines into my ear, shaking me by the shoulders.

"No," I mumble, "If I were back in Florida, I would still be asleep right now."

"Well, you're not in Florida now. Kim, Emily, Rachel and I are taking you shopping because Emily and I both agree that your wardrobe is less than acceptable."

Without thinking, I mumble, "You're actually agreeing with someone, much less Emily? Is the apocalypse starting so soon?"

The next thing I know, a bucket of freezing water is being thrown on me. I scream, jumping up and out of the soaking wet bed.

"LEAH!" I scream, chasing her out of the room and through the living room where Kim, Emily, and Rachel wait. I chase her out of the house, cornering her between her car and Kim's.

My eyes narrow. "I can not believe you, Clearwater."

She rolls her eyes. "You can't call me Clearwater, because you're a Clearwater too. It doesn't make any sense."

I roll my eyes in return. "I'm going to go get dressed."

I walk back into the house, giving an embarrassed smile to Kim, Emily, and Rachel. My tired legs carry me to my bedroom, where I take a quick shower and throw on a simple outfit. My hair's still wet and I'm still half-asleep when I enter the kitchen. Kim slips a cup of coffee into my hand and pulls me toward the table, where Rachel, Emily, and Leah are waiting.

Even in my sleepy state, I can tell that Leah is not too happy about having Emily in her house and having to spend time with her today.

"So, where are we even going to shop?" I ask, taking a long drink of warm coffee.

Judging by the looks I receive, I'm probably supposed to know the answer to that.

Emily smiles kindly while Rachel rolls her eyes and answers, "We're going to Port Angeles. It's going to be awesome! They have a great mall, and it's got so many-"

"Ray?" Kim interrupts, "I think you should slow down. You don't want to scare the poor girl."

Then, she turns to me and winks. I smile back, slightly uncomfortable. It feels odd to be welcomed into their group so easily and quickly.

"Ok, I guess. It does sound kinda fun," I say, trying to let them know that I was only opposed to shopping when I was trying to sleep. Normally, I was totally fine with shopping!

Emily clasps her hands together, grinning. "Awesome! Are you ready to go?"

I finish the last of my coffee and nod. "I'll go grab my purse."

I do exactly that and go outside to meet the others at Kim's car. Kim has an SUV, so it's big enough for all five of us to sit comfortably.

I climb into the the backseat next to Leah. Kim's driving, Emily's shotgun, and Rachel is behind Leah and I.

"So, I know this is a really dumb question, but how do you guys.. fit in to the whole pack? I mean-"

I hear Kim laugh lightly in the front seat.

Rachel is the one who answers first. "I am Paul's imprint, and Jacob's sister. Emily is Sam's imprint and Leah's cousin. Leah is, well, one of the wolves. Kim is Jared's imprint. She isn't related to anyone in the pack, but she does sit in front of Jared in science class."

I laugh lightly, feeling myself slowly start to let go and fit in with the girls. Leah is still somewhat sullen, but that's to be expected.

"Ok, so now that I get who everyone is," I start, smiling, "Can you guys sort of tell me what I need to know? Embry didn't really tell me much, other than that I'm his imprint and that he's sorta stuck with me."

Rachel laughs and says, "Wow, I'd never heard it phrased so bluntly before."

I blush slightly, ducking my head and fiddling with my phone, embarrassed. _Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I really shouldn't be allowed to talk._

"Well," Kim starts, turning off of La Push road and onto the 101, "There really isn't that much to know. The pack can turn into wolves on a whim, not like in the movies when they have to wait for a full moon. Also, they're clearly not bloodthirsty monsters like in the movies. They're protectors."

I'm confused now. _Story of my life, right?_ "Protectors? What do they protect people from?"

Kim and Emily share a look in the front seat.

Leah finally speaks up quietly. "We protect people from vampires."

I burst out laughing. "Vampires? Niiice, Leah!"

I continue laughing, then I realize I'm the only one. "Wait, you _were_ joking, right? Vampires don't exist."

"If you can believe that werewolves exist, then is it so hard to believe that vampires exist?" Rachel asks sensibly.

I'm quiet, thinking. _What if vampires do exist? I'd definitely want to be protected from them. But, still. How can all these mythical creatures exist? Am I going crazy?_

I look out the window, trying to absorb this information.

"Tell me about the vampires. Are they all dangerous?"

"Yes," Emily says, her voice hard. "Vampires are disgusting creatures that exist to feed on humans. As werewolves, we exist to protect humans from vampires. Unlike the movies, they don't have fangs. They have super speed and strength. They also have red eyes, and they don't die when they go out in the sun. They _sparkle."_ She spits out the last word like a curse, and that's the only thing that keeps me from bursting out laughing again.

_Sparkle? What kind of vampire sparkles?_

I look out the window again, trying to collect my thoughts again. _So, my new sort-of-boyfriend Embry, my cousins, and my childhood friends are werewolves. They exist to protect people from vampires, that may or may not exist to kill humans. And somehow Emily, Kim, Rachel, and I fit in as imprints... Wow. I knew that moving to a new place would be weird, but I didn't think it would be _this _weird. _

When I look up, we're passing Lake Aldwell, so we're close to Port Angeles.

Emily reaches over and turns the radio up as Girls Night Out by Lauren Christoff comes on the radio. I grin as Kim and Emily start dancing in their seats, and I join them. Soon, Rachel joins us, and after that, Leah.

Soon we're all laughing and singing along, dancing in our seats. Then the song ends, and we're all laughing.

She Wolf by Shakira is the next song on, which brings a roar of laughter from all of us.

"Leah! It's your song!" I yell, and Leah grins, putting her hands up in the air and dancing in her seat.

Somewhere during the laughing and dancing, my phone plays a riff, and Emily turns the radio down a little as I answer.

"Hey, Maia. What's up?"

"Not much. I just called to see how you're doing. How's Leah?"

"She's good. We're actually going shopping with a few other girls in Port Angeles now."

"Oh! Well, I guess I'll let you go, then. I'll talk to you later! Oh, and I'm glad you're having fun over there." I can hear the smile in her voice.

"Okay. I'll talk to you later," I say as Kim pulls into the parking lot of the mall in Port Angeles.

We climb out of the car, and I stop for a second to marvel at the beauty that is the shopping complex.

"Ahh. Salvation," I say, ignoring the laughs coming from Leah and Rachel, who had heard my last comment.

"Let's go! I'm ready to shop!" Kim says, bouncing up and down. Emily puts a hand on her shoulder, laughing.

"Calm down, Kim. No one is going to empty out Charlotte Russe before you get there."

I grin, happy that I've found friends so soon after moving here.

Before I can voice my gratitude, I'm being pulled through the automatic doors of the mall and straight into the food court. Smells assault my nose, and the first place we hit is the Starbucks toward the far end.

We order our drinks and head into the main part of the mall that has all the stores. I take a drink of my beautiful caramel frappachino, suddenly very awake.

"Okay, where to first? It's about 10:30, so we could come back to the food court at noon for lunch, and then shop for another two hours before making the hour-and-a-half drive back home. We'll be back home in time to put our stuff away and get ready for tonight," Emily says, excited.

"Um, Em, what's tonight?" I ask timidly.

"Oh! We forgot to tell you. Tonight, Jacob's dad, Billy, is going to be telling a bunch of old Quileute legends. It's really fun."

I nod, wondering what legends were going to be told. I remember Billy telling a few when I was a little kid, but I don't exactly remember what they were about.

I don't have time to think anything else, because soon I'm being tugged into stores, pushed into dressing rooms, and overloaded with bags.

By the time we've eaten lunch, shopped some more, and brought the bags out to the car, I'm exhausted.

We all climb into the car, bags littering the floor, and I flop back against my seat.

"I don't think I've gotten that much exercise since... I don't know when," I say, closing my eyes.

Rachel chuckles. "I know what you mean..."

I don't hear any more conversation as I drift to sleep.

_We're sitting around a big fire, the shadows playing across our faces. Across the fire, Billy Black's hands are held up in front of him. His voice rings out, but I don't understand the words. Everyone else seems to understand the language, and they're all fixated on Billy. Embry is sitting next to me, and I say his name. _

_He ignores me, eyes still focused on Billy. Then, the fire begins to shift into different shapes. The fire shoots high into the air, forming the chiseled face of what looks like a perfect man. The man's face is twisted into a cynical grin, and the pack begins to shift and blur, shaking. They're faces blur and they start to shift form. _

_Then, the man in the circle seems to solidify. He's pale, and the moon peeks out from behind the clouds, shining straight down on him as he steps out of the fire. His skin sparkles, and his eyes are blood red. _

_He turns to me stalking toward me._

"_Help me!" I scream as the man lunges for me, sinking his teeth into my neck._

_I scream for Embry, but he's still stuck between his two forms._

"_Embry!"_

_

* * *

_

Okay, so even I know this chapter is a little weird and wayy to short to be acceptable. Seriously, no need to tell me. Anyway, I love all of my reviewers and favoriters (so not a word), so here they are!

**Thanks to:**

**Team-LaPush-Werewolves**

**wolfie96**

**xoembrylove0x**

**Dancer96**

**stonecoldheart27**

If there's anyone I forgot, I apologize. I'm writing down names from the email on my iPod, so it's slightly challenging. :)

Anyway, you know the drill: Read+Review=Cookies

Also, I know Leah is a tad OC in some parts, but I think that she's putting up with Emily because she loves her cousin and she doesn't want to make Nichole choose between her and Emily. I mean, might as well be civil, right?

PS: I am thinking of doing a story about how my characters feel about the movies and posting it the night Eclipse comes out but you must review or my fingers might get scared and not want to type! *gasp*

Love you all!


	3. Chapter 3

**I'M SUCH A HORRIBLE, TERRIBLE PERSON. YOU DON'T NEED TO TELL ME, I GOT IT. **

**Now, for the explanation: **My computer's laptop charger conked out. Completely. Like, dead, gone, 6 feet under, bought the farm, checked out, deceased, departed, expired, gone to meet maker, offed, pushing up daisies, resting in peace, DEAD. So, my laptop died. And I had NO WAY TO CHARGE IT. So, I ordered a new charger and finished my chapter. At 3:23 on a Monday morning.

Yay me!

**Songs: **Good Morning- Chamillionaire

Pussycat Dolls- Hush Hush; Hush Hush

Cascada- Truly, Madly, Deeply

Breaking Benjamin- Dance With the Devil

Hinder- Better Than Me

* * *

Leah and I enter the house, kicking off our shoes. I greet Aunt Sue quickly, before toting all of my bags to my room to put the clothes away.

I crank the radio up and change into a tank top and shorts. _Good Morning_ comes on and I begin to dance around to the bright beat of the song.

_If you had it like me and I was in your shoes  
I'd probably hate on me too _

I sing with it, dancing around my room as the radio plays. I don't have a ton of clothes to put away, but I've still got all of my stuff from home.

I've been pretty much living out of a few suitcases, but I'm hesitant to put it all away.

I busy myself for a while before I finally get around to my stuff from home. I know that I'll have to do it eventually, but for some reason I dread putting all of my stuff away.

_You live here now, Nikki. There's no reason to hold on to the past._

For some reason, the thought of putting all of my old stuff away just seems.. wrong. Kind of like I'm trying to cover up my old life by putting all of my old things into a closet in a completely new room in a completely new state. It's like I'm letting go of my parents and old friends and replacing them with Sue and Embry and the pack. I feel like, somehow, moving into my room feels more permanent.

Moving in completely will make me face the truth: I am living in La Push, Washington, because my dad died when I was 2 years old. My step-father died when I was twelve, and my mother just died. My cousin and my boyfriend are werewolves, and I have no idea how to handle everything right now.

I stare at the bags intensely, my mind drifting off to childhood memories.

"_Seth! Stop throwing stuff at me!"_

"_Oh, shut up Leah. Hurry up, Nichole!"_

_Seth and Leah had always been faster than me. The beach is slippery, and we're running really fast toward the bonfire where all the parents are waiting for us. I'm trying my hardest to keep up with my cousins, but I'm small for my age and I'm trying not to trip._

"_I can't Seth!" I yell. Jacob comes up behind me, taking my hand and tugging me with him. _

"_Come on, Nick! Embry and Quil are waiting at the bonfire already! You don't wanna be called a rotten egg, do you?"_

_My eyes widen and I push my four-year-old legs faster. _

"_No!"_

_

* * *

_

"_Embry Call! You need to stop reading my text messages! It's MY phone, not YOUR phone!"_

_Embry is sitting on the couch. I'm twelve years old now, right before my step-dad died. _

"_HE twirls the little pink charm that's hanging off the cell phone. _

"_Embry!" I stamp my foot. _

_My stepdad, Jackson, walks through the door with Harry Clearwater. _

"_Daddy!" I shriek, running toward him and throwing my arms around him._

"_Hey, Kiddo! Hey, Embry. What are you two up to?"_

_I pout. "Embry won't give me my phone back!"_

_Dad tilts his head to the side. _

"_Well... Did you ask him nicely?"_

_I blink up at him before turning to Embry._

"_Em, can I please have my phone back?"_

_Embry smiles and tosses me the phone. I laugh and catch it, taking my Daddy's hand and walking with him to the kitchen._

_If only I knew that he would die that night._

_

* * *

_

"_Daddy!"_

"_Nick, I'm going to call 911!" Leah holds my hand as Embry runs and dials the phone. I drop to my knees down beside my dad. _

"_Daddy! Daddy please don't leave me. Please don't leave Mommy and me. I need you, Dad!"_

_I sob into my hands._

_Sirens flash and someone big wraps a blanket around me, picking me up and carrying me to a car or something. Everything's fuzzy and I feel sick._

_Something very, very bad has happened._

I take a deep breath, wiping away tears from the memories. I take one look and the bags and make my decision. I reach for my bags, but a cold hand grabs mine. I scream, but a hand clamps down over my mouth.

"Please be quiet, Nichole. I'm not going to hurt you unless you alert your wolfish cousin. She's out back, so she won't know a thing unless you alert her."

I nod, trying not to whimper in fear.

My mouth is released and I spin, coming face-to-face with the man who just had me in his arms.

My eyes widen at his chiseled face and pale white skin.

"V-vampire..." I whisper, closing my eyes for a moment.

I think of the vampire in my dream on the way home.

_He looks exactly the same... How is that even possible?_

When I open them again, his hands are clasped directly in front of him. His eyes are a deep, blood red, and his lips are pulled up into a small smirk.

"My name is Tomas. I don't want to harm you. I'm merely... curious. You live so closely with monsters and it doesn't bother you. That is... unusual, to say the least," he says, and his voice is soft and kind. He has a thick Russian accent, and his dark hair flops into his eyes.

"You mean the wolves? They're hardly monsters, especially compared to you!"

He waves his hands in front of him, surrendering. "I apologize, Detenyshi Odno! I did not mean to cause you any offense. I am used to referring to them as monsters, though I suppose I will have to stop that if you and I are to become any sort of friends in the future."

I raise an eyebrow at him, accepting that he's not going to hurt me for now.

"You seriously think we'll wind up being friends? You're kidding, right? My boyfriend is a werewolf. You know, you're mortal enemy?"

Tomas laughs and says, "I am aware of what species your 'boyfriend' is, Detenyshi Odno. I merely-"

"Wait," I interrupt. "What does that mean? What do you keep calling me?"

"Oh! That means 'young one' in my native language. Compared to the time that I have been in existence, you are very young. As I was saying before, I merely want to be friends with you to see if it would work. I am largely biased when it comes to humans, and I want to see if I can be civil to one. I sought you out because you already live so closely with another type of... creature, and I thought that you might be less likely to overreact."

I nod, slightly puzzled. "I totally get what you're saying, but I doubt Embry or Leah would be to keen on the idea of me hanging out with a vampire."

Tomas raises and eyebrow and says, "You are your own person, are you not? What gives them the power to make decisions for you? With the bond you share, I would assume your boyfriend would give in to anything you said. His pack would not be able to harm you, either. It would cause your Embry too much pain."

I narrow my eyes. "That seems a little bit... threatening. Besides, what makes you think I want to be friends with you?"

He opens his mouth to answer, but his eyes widen. His face is startled for a moment before settling back into a tranquil smile. "I apologize, Detenyshi Odno, but I believe your boyfriend is here and I must leave. Until we meet again," he bends down and presses a kiss to each of my cheeks. He disappears at the exact instant Embry and Leah burst through my door, shaking.

"Where the hell is it?" She shouts, growling.

Embry is at my side immediately, and I wrap my arms tightly around his neck. It's only when he is carrying me toward the bathroom that I realize I'm sobbing in fear.

"Oh my god... Oh my god..."

He turns the shower on and helps undress me, setting me in the shower.

He takes his shirt and pants off and climbs in with his boxers on. It doesn't register how weird our position should be until much later in the night.

His arms are around me as the warm water splashes around us. I'm shaking, and he turns up the temperature and pulls me closer to his warm body.

I'm still sobbing, clutching Embry like a lifeline.

"H- holy shit, Em. He was _right there. _HE could have- h- have killed m-me!" I break into another round of sobs.

"Shh. I know, Nikki. Leah's going to go call Sam and then the pack is going to go search for the filthy bloodsucker. I promise you that we will take care of this."

I look up at him in fear.

"You can't b-be serious! " I say, my sobs ceasing. "That- that _thing _will kill you!"

He sighs and pulls me closer. "We're made to handle vampires, Nichole. We can take care of them. We _will _protect you. _I _will protect you."

We're quiet for a while as the water rushes over us.

"Em?" I ask quietly.

"Yeah?"

"Before that creep came in, I was thinking about when we were kids." I pause for a long while. "Do you remember the day my dad died?"

I feel his hands clutch me tighter.

"I will never forget that day. I remember every second."

"Do you remember when you took my phone, and you didn't give it back until I asked nicely?"

I'm crying again now, the tears choking in my throat.

"Yeah. I remember that. You had a little pink charm on it and even though I was trying to be manly I have to admit that it was kinda cute. It was definitely something you would have."

He's crying now too.

"Em, if I asked nicely, would you do something?"

He pulls back enough to look into my eyes.

"Yes."

I close my eyes and lift my lips to his ear. Tears pour down my face as I croak, "Help me forget what happened today. Watch a movie with me. Tease me. Treat me like you did when we were kids... just _help me._"

The water is cold now, and I can feel Embry nod slightly as he reaches to turn off the water. He wraps me in a fluffy towel, carrying me to my room and setting me down.

"I'm going to go change in Seth's room. I will be back in thirty seconds. I love you."

He steps out of the room, and I slip the towel off of me. I stare at my body in the mirror for a second before slipping on a pair of yoga pants and a tank top. I spy Embry's sweatshirt on the floor near my bad and grab it, slipping it on. I turn to find him waiting patiently in the doorway. He's got new clothes on, and he looks... clean.

We walk downstairs together and he keeps his arm around me as we get blankets, popcorn, and a movie. I grab a container of chocolate frosting and glare at the weird look he gives me.

"Don't judge me."

We plop down on the couch as the previews start. I grab a piece of popcorn and dip it in the frosting, popping it in my mouth. Embry stares. I roll my eyes and take another piece, putting frosting on it and popping it in his mouth. He chews thoughtfully before reaching down to get more. I laugh, cuddling up closer to my wolf.

"Embry," I whisper later in the movie.

"Yes, beautiful?"

"Thank you. For everything." He's quiet for a moment, and I look up. I blink, and his lips are on mine.

When we pull away, he whispers, "I love you too."

At that moment, there's no doubt in my mind that I will be putting away everything in the suitcases upstairs.

* * *

So! A little more intense than past chapters. I've tweaked my chapter planner-thingie but it's still the same general story line and number of chapters.

Sorry I'm a horrible person for not telling you about the whole charger thing right when it happened.

I love you!

Oh! Remember: Reviews make my hands type faster!


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